Re: [H] New gaming PC specs/recommendation for Bino?

[Greg Sevart]

It (pre-built) is about the only way you can get DDR5 right now, too. DIMMs are 
OOS everywhere and I've had suppliers say there's no ETA on restock. I was 
lucky to grab a couple 8GB sticks when I got the Z690 board and 12900K, but 
I'll have to wait for more before I can actually switch out my main machine - 
16GB isn't enough, and I won't pay scalper prices.

-Original Message-
From: Hardware  On Behalf Of Brian 
Weeden
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2021 4:56 PM
To: hardw...@lists.hardwaregroup.com
Subject: Re: [H] New gaming PC specs/recommendation for Bino?

I would wait if at all possible. Part of the reason your cost estimate is going 
so high is that good video cards are still scarce as heck (combo of mining, 
chip shortages, supply chain snafus, and just overall huge demand).

It might actually be cheaper to buy a pre-made system than trying to find a 
separate video card yourself.

But as always, this is a great site for comparing various specs:
https://www.userbenchmark.com


On Mon, Nov 29, 2021 at 5:39 PM Greg Sevart  wrote:

> Re: #2 - Yes, Alder Lake (12th gen) is definitely worth $200 more. I'm 
> even going to be upgrading from my Zen3 5950X to a 12900K. However, 
> the hybrid architecture is tripping up DRM for some games, so validate 
> your titles before executing. You can probably assume anything newish 
> either will work OOB or will be patched though.
>
> AMD is also going to be adopting a hybrid architecture with Zen 5.
>
> -Original Message-
> From: Hardware  On Behalf Of 
> Bino Gopal
> Sent: Monday, November 29, 2021 4:22 PM
> To: hardw...@lists.hardwaregroup.com
> Subject: [H] New gaming PC specs/recommendation for Bino?
>
> Hey guys, hope you all had a good Thanksgiving!
>
> I wanted to get a new desktop gaming PC-I decided to split the laptop 
> and gaming, so I got an LG Gram 17" laptop for work/mobility (still 
> need the screen size and resolution for emails and browsing-but I love 
> how light it
> is!) so now I want to build a decent gaming system that will last me a 
> while...
>
> I wanted to spend like $2500 but the specs I'm coming up with for what 
> seem like I decent system are coming out to more like $4k and I'm 
> wondering if I really need to spend that much...
>
> I used xoticpc.com 4 years ago to buy my MSI GS73VR gaming laptop 
> (that is still going strong and it's what I'm writing this email 
> on-well, after lots of repairs at the local MSI repair shop, heh) and 
> I spent about $3k on it in March 2017, and that was the last computer 
> I'd bought until I got the Gram for $900 last month at Costco, so it's served 
> me well.
>
> So here's the configs I came up with with the guy at xoticpc
>
> 12th gen:
> https://xoticpc.com/collections/gx18-torrent/products/xotic-gx18-torre
> nt-z690-ddr5?conf=525726
> 11th
>  ent-z690-ddr5?conf=52572611th>
> gen:
> https://xoticpc.com/collections/gx18-torrent/products/xotic-gx18-torre
> nt-z490-z590?conf=525722
>
> They're basically the same system, using this Fractal Torrent glass 
> case as the base:
> https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-torrent-atx-mid-tower/p/N8
> 2E16811352148
>
> which they call the GX18 Torrent model on the xoticpc site.  I 
> upgraded both systems with a GTX 3080, i7, MSI Carbon MBs, ASUS Thor 
> 850W PS, 32GB Corsair RAM in 2x16, a 1TB Samsung 980 Pro Gen 4 (no 
> other SSDs/HDs), kept the integrated sound, USB wireless dongle (no 
> cost), upgraded the thermal paste, kept the AIO cooling loop, and upgraded to 
> Win 10 Pro 64-bit.
>
> The difference b/w the two configs is the newer gen chipset/MB, CPU 
> and faster RAM: Z690 vs Z590, 12th vs 11th gen Intel CPU, 5.2k vs 3.6k 
> MHz RAM-and $200 more for the 12th gen stuff...
>
>
> So the main questions are:
> 1)  Did I basically spec things out right for gaming and is this what
> a new gaming system should cost about now given parts shortages and 
> GPU prices (damn, they're expensive!)?  Are there any major things any 
> of you would change/recommend?
> 2)  If I stay with this config, is the extra $200 worth it to go from
> 11th gen to 12th gen and the new MB and smaller CPU die size worth it 
> for future-proofing and upgrading?
> 3)  Anything that I missed here?  Any recs on better parts?  Better
> place to buy from?  I was going to get another MSI system but the tech 
> (Eric F, same guy I spoke to over 4 years ago, which is cool) said 
> that MSI generally uses the minimum spec parts and isn't as 
> customizable and that building with xoticpc you can select better 
> stuff (like the ASUS Thor PS,
> etc) so I went with the xoticpc custom build as I saw that to be the case...
>
>
> Any thoughts/help/feedback much appreciated!  Cheers all!
>
> BINO
>
>
>
> --


-
Brian

Re: [H] New gaming PC specs/recommendation for Bino?

[James Boswell]

Hard disagree on userbenchmark, their score weighting has a pro-intel bias
that's basically legendary to the point that they cannot be taken remotely
seriously.

On Mon, 29 Nov 2021 at 22:56, Brian Weeden  wrote:

> I would wait if at all possible. Part of the reason your cost estimate is
> going so high is that good video cards are still scarce as heck (combo of
> mining, chip shortages, supply chain snafus, and just overall huge demand).
>
> It might actually be cheaper to buy a pre-made system than trying to find a
> separate video card yourself.
>
> But as always, this is a great site for comparing various specs:
> https://www.userbenchmark.com
>
>
> On Mon, Nov 29, 2021 at 5:39 PM Greg Sevart  wrote:
>
> > Re: #2 - Yes, Alder Lake (12th gen) is definitely worth $200 more. I'm
> > even going to be upgrading from my Zen3 5950X to a 12900K. However, the
> > hybrid architecture is tripping up DRM for some games, so validate your
> > titles before executing. You can probably assume anything newish either
> > will work OOB or will be patched though.
> >
> > AMD is also going to be adopting a hybrid architecture with Zen 5.
> >
> > -Original Message-
> > From: Hardware  On Behalf Of
> > Bino Gopal
> > Sent: Monday, November 29, 2021 4:22 PM
> > To: hardw...@lists.hardwaregroup.com
> > Subject: [H] New gaming PC specs/recommendation for Bino?
> >
> > Hey guys, hope you all had a good Thanksgiving!
> >
> > I wanted to get a new desktop gaming PC-I decided to split the laptop and
> > gaming, so I got an LG Gram 17" laptop for work/mobility (still need the
> > screen size and resolution for emails and browsing-but I love how light
> it
> > is!) so now I want to build a decent gaming system that will last me a
> > while...
> >
> > I wanted to spend like $2500 but the specs I'm coming up with for what
> > seem like I decent system are coming out to more like $4k and I'm
> wondering
> > if I really need to spend that much...
> >
> > I used xoticpc.com 4 years ago to buy my MSI GS73VR gaming laptop (that
> > is still going strong and it's what I'm writing this email on-well, after
> > lots of repairs at the local MSI repair shop, heh) and I spent about $3k
> on
> > it in March 2017, and that was the last computer I'd bought until I got
> the
> > Gram for $900 last month at Costco, so it's served me well.
> >
> > So here's the configs I came up with with the guy at xoticpc
> >
> > 12th gen:
> >
> https://xoticpc.com/collections/gx18-torrent/products/xotic-gx18-torrent-z690-ddr5?conf=525726
> > 11th
> > <
> https://xoticpc.com/collections/gx18-torrent/products/xotic-gx18-torrent-z690-ddr5?conf=52572611th
> >
> > gen:
> >
> https://xoticpc.com/collections/gx18-torrent/products/xotic-gx18-torrent-z490-z590?conf=525722
> >
> > They're basically the same system, using this Fractal Torrent glass case
> > as the base:
> >
> https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-torrent-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352148
> >
> > which they call the GX18 Torrent model on the xoticpc site.  I upgraded
> > both systems with a GTX 3080, i7, MSI Carbon MBs, ASUS Thor 850W PS, 32GB
> > Corsair RAM in 2x16, a 1TB Samsung 980 Pro Gen 4 (no other SSDs/HDs),
> kept
> > the integrated sound, USB wireless dongle (no cost), upgraded the thermal
> > paste, kept the AIO cooling loop, and upgraded to Win 10 Pro 64-bit.
> >
> > The difference b/w the two configs is the newer gen chipset/MB, CPU and
> > faster RAM: Z690 vs Z590, 12th vs 11th gen Intel CPU, 5.2k vs 3.6k MHz
> > RAM-and $200 more for the 12th gen stuff...
> >
> >
> > So the main questions are:
> > 1)  Did I basically spec things out right for gaming and is this what
> > a new gaming system should cost about now given parts shortages and GPU
> > prices (damn, they're expensive!)?  Are there any major things any of you
> > would change/recommend?
> > 2)  If I stay with this config, is the extra $200 worth it to go from
> > 11th gen to 12th gen and the new MB and smaller CPU die size worth it for
> > future-proofing and upgrading?
> > 3)  Anything that I missed here?  Any recs on better parts?  Better
> > place to buy from?  I was going to get another MSI system but the tech
> > (Eric F, same guy I spoke to over 4 years ago, which is cool) said that
> MSI
> > generally uses the minimum spec parts and isn't as customizable and that
> > building with xoticpc you can select better stuff (like the ASUS Thor PS,
> > etc) so I went with the xoticpc custom build as I saw that to be the
> case...
> >
> >
> > Any thoughts/help/feedback much appreciated!  Cheers all!
> >
> > BINO
> >
> >
> >
> > --
>
>
> -
> Brian
>

Re: [H] New gaming PC specs/recommendation for Bino?

[James Boswell]

For Alder Lake you're probably going to want Windows 11 for the
asymmetric-aware scheduler?

On Mon, 29 Nov 2021 at 22:22, Bino Gopal  wrote:

> Hey guys, hope you all had a good Thanksgiving!
>
> I wanted to get a new desktop gaming PC-I decided to split the laptop and
> gaming, so I got an LG Gram 17" laptop for work/mobility (still need the
> screen size and resolution for emails and browsing-but I love how light it
> is!) so now I want to build a decent gaming system that will last me a
> while...
>
> I wanted to spend like $2500 but the specs I'm coming up with for what
> seem like I decent system are coming out to more like $4k and I'm wondering
> if I really need to spend that much...
>
> I used xoticpc.com 4 years ago to buy my MSI GS73VR gaming laptop (that
> is still going strong and it's what I'm writing this email on-well, after
> lots of repairs at the local MSI repair shop, heh) and I spent about $3k on
> it in March 2017, and that was the last computer I'd bought until I got the
> Gram for $900 last month at Costco, so it's served me well.
>
> So here's the configs I came up with with the guy at xoticpc
>
> 12th gen:
> https://xoticpc.com/collections/gx18-torrent/products/xotic-gx18-torrent-z690-ddr5?conf=525726
> 11th
> 
> gen:
> https://xoticpc.com/collections/gx18-torrent/products/xotic-gx18-torrent-z490-z590?conf=525722
>
> They're basically the same system, using this Fractal Torrent glass case
> as the base:
> https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-torrent-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352148
>
> which they call the GX18 Torrent model on the xoticpc site.  I upgraded
> both systems with a GTX 3080, i7, MSI Carbon MBs, ASUS Thor 850W PS, 32GB
> Corsair RAM in 2x16, a 1TB Samsung 980 Pro Gen 4 (no other SSDs/HDs), kept
> the integrated sound, USB wireless dongle (no cost), upgraded the thermal
> paste, kept the AIO cooling loop, and upgraded to Win 10 Pro 64-bit.
>
> The difference b/w the two configs is the newer gen chipset/MB, CPU and
> faster RAM: Z690 vs Z590, 12th vs 11th gen Intel CPU, 5.2k vs 3.6k MHz
> RAM-and $200 more for the 12th gen stuff...
>
>
> So the main questions are:
> 1)  Did I basically spec things out right for gaming and is this what
> a new gaming system should cost about now given parts shortages and GPU
> prices (damn, they're expensive!)?  Are there any major things any of you
> would change/recommend?
> 2)  If I stay with this config, is the extra $200 worth it to go from
> 11th gen to 12th gen and the new MB and smaller CPU die size worth it for
> future-proofing and upgrading?
> 3)  Anything that I missed here?  Any recs on better parts?  Better
> place to buy from?  I was going to get another MSI system but the tech
> (Eric F, same guy I spoke to over 4 years ago, which is cool) said that MSI
> generally uses the minimum spec parts and isn't as customizable and that
> building with xoticpc you can select better stuff (like the ASUS Thor PS,
> etc) so I went with the xoticpc custom build as I saw that to be the case...
>
>
> Any thoughts/help/feedback much appreciated!  Cheers all!
>
> BINO
>
>

Re: [H] New gaming PC specs/recommendation for Bino?

[Brian Weeden]

I would wait if at all possible. Part of the reason your cost estimate is
going so high is that good video cards are still scarce as heck (combo of
mining, chip shortages, supply chain snafus, and just overall huge demand).

It might actually be cheaper to buy a pre-made system than trying to find a
separate video card yourself.

But as always, this is a great site for comparing various specs:
https://www.userbenchmark.com


On Mon, Nov 29, 2021 at 5:39 PM Greg Sevart  wrote:

> Re: #2 - Yes, Alder Lake (12th gen) is definitely worth $200 more. I'm
> even going to be upgrading from my Zen3 5950X to a 12900K. However, the
> hybrid architecture is tripping up DRM for some games, so validate your
> titles before executing. You can probably assume anything newish either
> will work OOB or will be patched though.
>
> AMD is also going to be adopting a hybrid architecture with Zen 5.
>
> -Original Message-
> From: Hardware  On Behalf Of
> Bino Gopal
> Sent: Monday, November 29, 2021 4:22 PM
> To: hardw...@lists.hardwaregroup.com
> Subject: [H] New gaming PC specs/recommendation for Bino?
>
> Hey guys, hope you all had a good Thanksgiving!
>
> I wanted to get a new desktop gaming PC-I decided to split the laptop and
> gaming, so I got an LG Gram 17" laptop for work/mobility (still need the
> screen size and resolution for emails and browsing-but I love how light it
> is!) so now I want to build a decent gaming system that will last me a
> while...
>
> I wanted to spend like $2500 but the specs I'm coming up with for what
> seem like I decent system are coming out to more like $4k and I'm wondering
> if I really need to spend that much...
>
> I used xoticpc.com 4 years ago to buy my MSI GS73VR gaming laptop (that
> is still going strong and it's what I'm writing this email on-well, after
> lots of repairs at the local MSI repair shop, heh) and I spent about $3k on
> it in March 2017, and that was the last computer I'd bought until I got the
> Gram for $900 last month at Costco, so it's served me well.
>
> So here's the configs I came up with with the guy at xoticpc
>
> 12th gen:
> https://xoticpc.com/collections/gx18-torrent/products/xotic-gx18-torrent-z690-ddr5?conf=525726
> 11th
> 
> gen:
> https://xoticpc.com/collections/gx18-torrent/products/xotic-gx18-torrent-z490-z590?conf=525722
>
> They're basically the same system, using this Fractal Torrent glass case
> as the base:
> https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-torrent-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352148
>
> which they call the GX18 Torrent model on the xoticpc site.  I upgraded
> both systems with a GTX 3080, i7, MSI Carbon MBs, ASUS Thor 850W PS, 32GB
> Corsair RAM in 2x16, a 1TB Samsung 980 Pro Gen 4 (no other SSDs/HDs), kept
> the integrated sound, USB wireless dongle (no cost), upgraded the thermal
> paste, kept the AIO cooling loop, and upgraded to Win 10 Pro 64-bit.
>
> The difference b/w the two configs is the newer gen chipset/MB, CPU and
> faster RAM: Z690 vs Z590, 12th vs 11th gen Intel CPU, 5.2k vs 3.6k MHz
> RAM-and $200 more for the 12th gen stuff...
>
>
> So the main questions are:
> 1)  Did I basically spec things out right for gaming and is this what
> a new gaming system should cost about now given parts shortages and GPU
> prices (damn, they're expensive!)?  Are there any major things any of you
> would change/recommend?
> 2)  If I stay with this config, is the extra $200 worth it to go from
> 11th gen to 12th gen and the new MB and smaller CPU die size worth it for
> future-proofing and upgrading?
> 3)  Anything that I missed here?  Any recs on better parts?  Better
> place to buy from?  I was going to get another MSI system but the tech
> (Eric F, same guy I spoke to over 4 years ago, which is cool) said that MSI
> generally uses the minimum spec parts and isn't as customizable and that
> building with xoticpc you can select better stuff (like the ASUS Thor PS,
> etc) so I went with the xoticpc custom build as I saw that to be the case...
>
>
> Any thoughts/help/feedback much appreciated!  Cheers all!
>
> BINO
>
>
>
> --


-
Brian

Re: [H] New gaming PC specs/recommendation for Bino?

[Greg Sevart]

Re: #2 - Yes, Alder Lake (12th gen) is definitely worth $200 more. I'm even 
going to be upgrading from my Zen3 5950X to a 12900K. However, the hybrid 
architecture is tripping up DRM for some games, so validate your titles before 
executing. You can probably assume anything newish either will work OOB or will 
be patched though.

AMD is also going to be adopting a hybrid architecture with Zen 5.

-Original Message-
From: Hardware  On Behalf Of Bino 
Gopal
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2021 4:22 PM
To: hardw...@lists.hardwaregroup.com
Subject: [H] New gaming PC specs/recommendation for Bino?

Hey guys, hope you all had a good Thanksgiving!

I wanted to get a new desktop gaming PC-I decided to split the laptop and 
gaming, so I got an LG Gram 17" laptop for work/mobility (still need the screen 
size and resolution for emails and browsing-but I love how light it is!) so now 
I want to build a decent gaming system that will last me a while...

I wanted to spend like $2500 but the specs I'm coming up with for what seem 
like I decent system are coming out to more like $4k and I'm wondering if I 
really need to spend that much...

I used xoticpc.com 4 years ago to buy my MSI GS73VR gaming laptop (that is 
still going strong and it's what I'm writing this email on-well, after lots of 
repairs at the local MSI repair shop, heh) and I spent about $3k on it in March 
2017, and that was the last computer I'd bought until I got the Gram for $900 
last month at Costco, so it's served me well.

So here's the configs I came up with with the guy at xoticpc

12th gen: 
https://xoticpc.com/collections/gx18-torrent/products/xotic-gx18-torrent-z690-ddr5?conf=525726
11th gen: 
https://xoticpc.com/collections/gx18-torrent/products/xotic-gx18-torrent-z490-z590?conf=525722

They're basically the same system, using this Fractal Torrent glass case as the 
base: 
https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-torrent-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352148

which they call the GX18 Torrent model on the xoticpc site.  I upgraded both 
systems with a GTX 3080, i7, MSI Carbon MBs, ASUS Thor 850W PS, 32GB Corsair 
RAM in 2x16, a 1TB Samsung 980 Pro Gen 4 (no other SSDs/HDs), kept the 
integrated sound, USB wireless dongle (no cost), upgraded the thermal paste, 
kept the AIO cooling loop, and upgraded to Win 10 Pro 64-bit.

The difference b/w the two configs is the newer gen chipset/MB, CPU and faster 
RAM: Z690 vs Z590, 12th vs 11th gen Intel CPU, 5.2k vs 3.6k MHz RAM-and $200 
more for the 12th gen stuff...


So the main questions are:
1)  Did I basically spec things out right for gaming and is this what a new 
gaming system should cost about now given parts shortages and GPU prices (damn, 
they're expensive!)?  Are there any major things any of you would 
change/recommend?
2)  If I stay with this config, is the extra $200 worth it to go from 11th 
gen to 12th gen and the new MB and smaller CPU die size worth it for 
future-proofing and upgrading?
3)  Anything that I missed here?  Any recs on better parts?  Better place 
to buy from?  I was going to get another MSI system but the tech (Eric F, same 
guy I spoke to over 4 years ago, which is cool) said that MSI generally uses 
the minimum spec parts and isn't as customizable and that building with xoticpc 
you can select better stuff (like the ASUS Thor PS, etc) so I went with the 
xoticpc custom build as I saw that to be the case...


Any thoughts/help/feedback much appreciated!  Cheers all!

BINO

[H] New gaming PC specs/recommendation for Bino?

[Bino Gopal]

Hey guys, hope you all had a good Thanksgiving!

I wanted to get a new desktop gaming PC-I decided to split the laptop and 
gaming, so I got an LG Gram 17" laptop for work/mobility (still need the screen 
size and resolution for emails and browsing-but I love how light it is!) so now 
I want to build a decent gaming system that will last me a while...

I wanted to spend like $2500 but the specs I'm coming up with for what seem 
like I decent system are coming out to more like $4k and I'm wondering if I 
really need to spend that much...

I used xoticpc.com 4 years ago to buy my MSI GS73VR gaming laptop (that is 
still going strong and it's what I'm writing this email on-well, after lots of 
repairs at the local MSI repair shop, heh) and I spent about $3k on it in March 
2017, and that was the last computer I'd bought until I got the Gram for $900 
last month at Costco, so it's served me well.

So here's the configs I came up with with the guy at xoticpc

12th gen: 
https://xoticpc.com/collections/gx18-torrent/products/xotic-gx18-torrent-z690-ddr5?conf=525726
11th gen: 
https://xoticpc.com/collections/gx18-torrent/products/xotic-gx18-torrent-z490-z590?conf=525722

They're basically the same system, using this Fractal Torrent glass case as the 
base: 
https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-torrent-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352148

which they call the GX18 Torrent model on the xoticpc site.  I upgraded both 
systems with a GTX 3080, i7, MSI Carbon MBs, ASUS Thor 850W PS, 32GB Corsair 
RAM in 2x16, a 1TB Samsung 980 Pro Gen 4 (no other SSDs/HDs), kept the 
integrated sound, USB wireless dongle (no cost), upgraded the thermal paste, 
kept the AIO cooling loop, and upgraded to Win 10 Pro 64-bit.

The difference b/w the two configs is the newer gen chipset/MB, CPU and faster 
RAM: Z690 vs Z590, 12th vs 11th gen Intel CPU, 5.2k vs 3.6k MHz RAM-and $200 
more for the 12th gen stuff...


So the main questions are:
1)  Did I basically spec things out right for gaming and is this what a new 
gaming system should cost about now given parts shortages and GPU prices (damn, 
they're expensive!)?  Are there any major things any of you would 
change/recommend?
2)  If I stay with this config, is the extra $200 worth it to go from 11th 
gen to 12th gen and the new MB and smaller CPU die size worth it for 
future-proofing and upgrading?
3)  Anything that I missed here?  Any recs on better parts?  Better place 
to buy from?  I was going to get another MSI system but the tech (Eric F, same 
guy I spoke to over 4 years ago, which is cool) said that MSI generally uses 
the minimum spec parts and isn't as customizable and that building with xoticpc 
you can select better stuff (like the ASUS Thor PS, etc) so I went with the 
xoticpc custom build as I saw that to be the case...


Any thoughts/help/feedback much appreciated!  Cheers all!

BINO